1997 Ford Contour Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Contour years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 5th of 7 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 218 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Ford Contour. That ranks 5th out of 7 Contour model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (41 complaints, 19%), typically at around 112,000 miles. Complaints mention 11 crashes, 10 fires, 10 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
- 218owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 11complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Ford Contour problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 41 | 19% | 112,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 35 | 16% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 30 | 14% | 97,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 27 | 12% | 149,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 21 | 10% | 88,500 | — | — |
| Visibility | 19 | 9% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 17 | 8% | 123,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 16 | 7% | 92,326 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 9 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 4% | 56,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 7 | 3% | 91,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 7 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 7 | 3% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 5 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 4 | 2% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 1% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 3 | 1% | 119,533 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 3 | 1% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 1% | 134,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 1% | 74,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Ford Contour recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system
Problem: On certain my 1996-1998 passenger vehicles built at the kansas city, cuautitlan assembly plants or on my 1999 passenger vehcles built at the automotive alliance international assembly plants, the rough surface of the heater blower resistor's stainless steel blades can damage the copper surface of the wiring harness connector. The damage could, over time, cause increased resistance in the connector and, due to subsequent terminal relaxation, result in an open circuit condition.
Risk: The open circuit could lead to electrical arcing that could melt the connector housing material creasing the potential for a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a new heater blower resistor and a new wire jumper harness. Owner notification began august 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles not equipped with the anti-lock braking system (abs). A pressure conscious reducing valve (pcrv) in the rear brakes may be subject to corrosion and result in malfunction, when operated in areas that use salt compounds on the roadway for de-icing or dust control.
Risk: If both pcrv's malfunction, vehicle handling could be adversely affected during braking as a result of the rear wheels locking, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install improved pcrv's in the rear brake system. This recall was expanded in september 2000 to include 1999 and 2000 ford contour, mercury mystique and cougar vehicles.
Exterior lighting:headlights:switch
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The terminals at the headlight switch and wiring harness connector can experience heat damage as a result of overheating.
Risk: The damage could result in distortion of the terminal causing an open circuit in the instrument panel illumination, parking lamp, and tail lamp circuits.
Fix: Dealers will install a headlamp switch wiring connector containing bronze terminals and an inspection, and replacement if necessary, of the headlamp switch.
Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The floor shift automatic transmission control can be damaged if subjected to certain interior cleaning products. The gear position indicator can deteriorate and not correctly indicate the actual gear position.
Risk: This condition can result in incorrect gear selection.
Fix: Dealers will replace the automatic transmission floor shift control.
Fuel system, other:storage
Problem: Vehicle description: bi-fuel vehicles modified to run on either gasoline or compressed natural gas (cng). The natural gas fuel tanks have a solenoid shut-off valve that stops fuel flow from the fuel tank in the event of certain moderate to severe collisions. If the vehicle is in a collision and the natural gas fuel line is damaged, the system could leak natural gas.
Risk: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Fix: Ford has requested owners of these vehicles to have the cng fuel system disabled under a previous recall campaign and to only use gasoline fuel until a permanent corrective action is developed. Owners are being alerted to this solenoid valve concern at this time. The timing of corrective actions is being delayed to allow both conditions to be remedied at one time. In the meantime, there is not risk as long as the natural gas system has been disabled and the vheicle is only operated on gasoline.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Incorrect gear indication (RQ02006) — opened Feb 26, 2002, closed Sep 12, 2002, led to recall 98V233000.
- Blower switch/resistor or wiring harness (EA01001) — opened Jan 5, 2001, closed Jul 31, 2001, led to recall 01I009000.
- Blower switch/resistor or wiring harness (PE00023) — opened Jun 14, 2000, closed Jan 5, 2001.
- Various intermittent electrical issues (RQ99019) — opened Sep 15, 1999, closed Mar 7, 2001, led to recall 99V243000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford contour. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact personally performed a diagnostic. The contact replaced the timing belt, serpentine belt…
The wiring harness has deteriorated to where the engine runs lean and dies. The check engine light came on while driving. Once home i checked everything i could until the engine compartment cooled then noticed the wiring on the number 1 cylinder. The more i looked i could see all the injector plugs…
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford contour. The contact stated the vehicle repeatedly decelerates and accelerates without warrant. When the air conditioner was being operated, the vehicle would begin to shake violently. It would also take an unusually long time for the air conditioner to engage and…
Could not get an inspection sticker - no mechanic could find out why the check engine will not go off -very costly. It stalls when raining, the passenger door handle does not work, it has to warm up for 5 minutes before it will move, the tail lights came loose, causing melting of housing, every…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford contour. The contact stated that there was a bad ground in the main line harness, which caused the electrical system in the vehicle to fail. The vehicle was not included in the recall. The current mileage was 116,000 and failure mileage was 115,000.
Other Ford Contour years
← 1996 Contour · 1998 Contour →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 Contour | 4 | 0 |
| 2000 Contour | 199 | 5 |
| 1999 Contour | 419 | 3 |
| 1998 Contour | 846 | 9 |
| 1997 | 218 | 5 |
| 1996 Contour | 563 | 8 |
| 1995 Contour | 891 | 8 |
See all Ford Contour problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Ford Contour?
Owners most often report electrical system, engine and engine cooling, power train problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 41 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Ford Contour?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Ford Contour a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Contour model years, the 1997 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.